All materialism and saccharine Hallmark greeting cards aside, the spirit of Valentine's Day is well-intended. What's so wrong with having a day for reflecting on who we love and demonstrating a little extra tenderness?
In honor of a more holistic idea of love, I'm getting closer to the $100 mystery (and realizing I wish I had A LOT more than $100 to give!). There has been a sudden spate of cancer in my little world, from Claire's passing last December to the recent news of a respected scholar and former colleague of mine struggling to pay for his pancreatic cancer treatments. How can I creatively give to those suffering from cancer in a way that is both personal to me and meaningful to those who receive the gift? How can my giving add a little love and joy to the world?
Big questions, but a possible answer: My mother-in-law, Claire, embodied selfless and resilient love. She passed away from lung cancer a couple months ago after a brutal 14-month battle. During her treatment at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco, she met many other cancer patients (often kids and young adults) going through chemo and radiation. The waits and treatments were long and boring, often in a large room full of other cancer patients. Perhaps $100 worth of books, magazines, games and blankets to keep those in treatment warm and entertained, in honor of Claire? I'm off to call Kaiser today to see what they might need!
As for the colleague, Carlos Ivan Degregori, I'll give my own money to the fundraising effort for his treatment. I suggest you do, too. Not only is he in great need, but he has devoted his entire life to seeking justice as the head of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is an inspirational embodiment of the way that love (of humanity, of human rights) can change the world.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
If I had 100 dollars...
Courtney Martin is one of my closest friends, part of a small group of women who are truly my family. We are rooted in one of those consistently forever relationships, no matter how much time passes and how much distance settles between us.
Courtney also started this thing called the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy back in 2005, which happened to be the very same year that I moved from New York City to San Diego. I wasn't able to attend the NYC inaugural event that year, and it was a painful moment when I deeply lamented picking up my comfortably-creative Brooklyn life and dropping it in the sunny expanse that is southern California. The SSCP's first meeting was one of those only-in-new york banter-full presentations mixing creative complaining with truly original ideas on how to change the world, quirky methods of engaging the city's 24-hour energy with irreverent acts of pleasure and joy. Missing it seemed to symbolize how much I had given up to pursue other life goals.
Still, Courtney is very good about keeping me informed about all her various pursuits and the rapid expansion of her SSCP to other cities, including San Francisco. Every year for the last six years I have listened to her account of the many creative ways that inductees imagine giving $100. And now...just about a half-dozen years since it began...I live in San Francisco, there happens to be a meeting coming up, and I was given $100 to pay forward. After so much time observing creative philanthropy, I am finally faced with the very real task of imagining giving myself.
It's funny when something that you've admired from afar is suddenly part of your life. All kinds of expectations and anticipations set in, despite Courtney's reassurance, "don't feel pressure, don't stress out about doing the best thing in the world."
What to do with $100? What would you do?
First, to honor Courtney, I will do something that requires no money at all. For years, she has urged me to write more (and more publicly). So in a completely narcissistic exercise of giving, back up goes the Blog! Sometimes giving our friends a reason to have faith in us is more important than anything money can buy.
And as for the money...I'm still brainstorming.
Courtney also started this thing called the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy back in 2005, which happened to be the very same year that I moved from New York City to San Diego. I wasn't able to attend the NYC inaugural event that year, and it was a painful moment when I deeply lamented picking up my comfortably-creative Brooklyn life and dropping it in the sunny expanse that is southern California. The SSCP's first meeting was one of those only-in-new york banter-full presentations mixing creative complaining with truly original ideas on how to change the world, quirky methods of engaging the city's 24-hour energy with irreverent acts of pleasure and joy. Missing it seemed to symbolize how much I had given up to pursue other life goals.
Still, Courtney is very good about keeping me informed about all her various pursuits and the rapid expansion of her SSCP to other cities, including San Francisco. Every year for the last six years I have listened to her account of the many creative ways that inductees imagine giving $100. And now...just about a half-dozen years since it began...I live in San Francisco, there happens to be a meeting coming up, and I was given $100 to pay forward. After so much time observing creative philanthropy, I am finally faced with the very real task of imagining giving myself.
It's funny when something that you've admired from afar is suddenly part of your life. All kinds of expectations and anticipations set in, despite Courtney's reassurance, "don't feel pressure, don't stress out about doing the best thing in the world."
What to do with $100? What would you do?
First, to honor Courtney, I will do something that requires no money at all. For years, she has urged me to write more (and more publicly). So in a completely narcissistic exercise of giving, back up goes the Blog! Sometimes giving our friends a reason to have faith in us is more important than anything money can buy.
And as for the money...I'm still brainstorming.
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